Method and System for Vicarious Downloading or Uploading of Information

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for vicarious downloading or uploading of information are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, such a system involves a mobile device that includes a memory device capable of storing information or content, and at least one wireless communication component. The mobile device further includes a processing device coupled at least indirectly to the memory device and to the at least one wireless communication component, and a power source. The processing device is configured to determine at least one characteristic/condition pertaining in at least some manner to the mobile device. Also, the mobile device is configured to send a command message to another device when the at least one characteristic/condition is determined, the command message being configured cause the other device to perform vicariously a downloading or uploading of the information or content on behalf of the mobile device.

PRIORITY APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation of and claims priority tocopending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/065,239, filed on Oct. 28,2013. application Ser. No. 14/988,278 is a continuation of and claimspriority to PCT Application Serial No. PCT/US2012/33197 Filed on Apr.12, 2012, and Indian Patent Application 1496/CHE/2011, filed Apr. 29,2011, the disclosures of which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to mobile devices and, more particularly,to methods and systems allowing for receipt (or downloading) ofinformation/signals from other locations or devices for use by mobiledevices, and/or transmission (or uploading) of information/signalsavailable at mobile devices for use at other locations or devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile devices such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs),and smart phones are ubiquitous and used for a variety of purposes. Byvirtue of communication with other locations or devices, mobile devicesare able to access or download a variety of types of informationincluding for example voice data, photographic information, and videoinformation. Likewise, such mobile devices are also able to communicateor upload such types of information to other devices or locations. Asthe processing and other capabilities of mobile devices continue toincrease, the amounts of information to be received and/or transmittedby such mobile devices continues to increase.

Notwithstanding ongoing improvements in the capabilities of mobiledevices to communicate, store, and process large quantities ofinformation, there nevertheless remain circumstances where a mobiledevice is unable to receive, download, transmit, and/or upload portionsof information (or at least large amounts of information), orcircumstances in which it is otherwise inappropriate for a mobile deviceto receive, download, transmit and/or upload portions of information (orat least large amounts of information). For example, in somecircumstances a mobile device is unable to maintain adequateconnectivity with wireless transceivers (e.g., cellular towers or accesspoints) to allow for successful reception or transmission ofinformation, or to allow for successful reception or transmission oflarge amounts of information. Also for example, in some circumstancesthe mobile device does not have sufficient power (e.g., because abattery of the mobile device is running low) to accomplished desiredreception or transmission of information. Further for example, themobile device can have limited available memory space at a time when thelarge amount of information is to be received by the mobile device, suchthat the mobile device's memory space is not sufficient at that time tostore all of that information upon its being received.

It would therefore be advantageous if an improved method or system, foruse or implementation on or in relation to mobile devices, could bedeveloped that allowed for mobile devices to overcome one or moreshortcomings such as one or more of those mentioned above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In at least one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method ofcommunicating information or content to or from a mobile device inrelation to an external device by way of the internet. The methodincludes determining at the mobile device that the information orcontent should be downloaded from or uploaded to the external device,the information or content being stored upon the mobile device if it isdetermined that the information or content should be uploaded. Themethod also includes additionally determining at the mobile device thata downloading operation or an uploading operation should be offloaded toan associated device. The method further includes sending, from themobile device for receipt by the associated device, a command messageconfigured to cause the associated device to perform the downloadingoperation or the uploading operation, and receiving a confirmationmessage back from the associated device that the downloading operationor the uploading operation has or have been performed. If theconfirmation message indicates that the associated device has performedthe downloading operation, the information or content is subsequentlyreceived at the mobile device.

Further, in at least one additional embodiment, the present inventionrelates to a method of downloading information or content to a mobiledevice from an external device by way of the internet. The methodincludes taking at least one action at the mobile device as a result ofwhich a relationship is established between the mobile device andanother device, and first determining at the mobile device that adownloading operation by which the information or content is downloadedfrom the external device should be vicariously performed by the otherdevice. The method also includes sending, from the mobile device forreceipt by the other device, a command message configured to cause theother device to perform the downloading operation, receiving aconfirmation message back from the other device that the downloadingoperation has been performed such that the information or content hasbeen downloaded from the external device to the other device, and seconddetermining that it is appropriate for the information or content to beprovided from the other device to the mobile device. The method furtherincludes sending a request for receipt by the other device that theinformation or content be provided to the mobile device, and receivingthe information or content at the mobile device.

Additionally, in at least one further embodiment, the present inventionrelates to a mobile device. The mobile device includes a memory devicethat is capable of storing information or content, and at least onewireless communication component by which the mobile device is able totransmit and receive wireless communication signals. The mobile devicefurther includes a processing device coupled at least indirectly to thememory device and to the at least one wireless communication component,and a power source. The processing device is configured to determine atleast one characteristic or condition pertaining to a manner of usage ofthe mobile device, to a wireless connectivity status of the mobiledevice, or to one or more of the memory device, the at least onewireless communication component, the processing device, or the powersource. Also, the mobile device is configured to send a command messageto another device when the at least one characteristic or condition isdetermined, the command message being configured cause the other deviceto perform vicariously a downloading or uploading of the information orcontent on behalf of the mobile device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example communications system including a mobile deviceand an associated device in communication with one another and with atleast one web server;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing example internal hardware componentsof the mobile device of FIGS. 1; and

FIG. 3, represented by FIGS. 3A and 3B, is a flow chart showing variousexample steps of operation of the communications system of FIG. 1, whichparticularly are performed by the mobile device and the associateddevice of that communications system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an example communications system100 is shown in a simplified schematic form. As shown, thecommunications system 100 includes a mobile device 102 and an associateddevice 104. The associated device 104 is referred to as “associated”device herein because, as discussed further below, a relationshipbetween the mobile device 102 and the associated device is establishedsuch that the associated device in at least some circumstancesvicariously acts on behalf of the mobile device to perform one or moreoperations relating to the downloading/receiving oruploading/transmitting of information. Additionally as shown, both themobile device 102 and the associated device 104 is capable ofcommunicating with the internet 106. By way of the internet 106, each ofthe mobile device 102 and the associated device 104 is also capable ofindirectly communicating with a web server 108. While only the webserver 108 is shown in FIG. 1, it should be understood that the webserver is actually representative of the existence of many web serversthat are in communication with other devices via the internet 106.

More particularly, the mobile device 102 is shown to be connected to theinternet 106 by way of a wireless communication link 110, which isintended for example to be representative of wireless connection(s)between the mobile device 102 and one or more hardware devices (e.g.,cellular towers or access points) that are themselvesinternet-connected. Further, the associated device 104 is shown to beconnected to the internet 106 by a communication link 112, and the webserver 108 is shown to be connected to the internet 106 by way of afurther communication link 114. Each of the communication links 112, 114can involve one or both of wireless or wired connections (for example,landline connections such as fiber optic or copper wiring connections,microwave communications, radio channel communications, and/or wirelesspath communications) depending upon the embodiment or device that isinvolved.

The internet 106 in turn can be understood to include any number ofinternet, intranet, and/or World Wide Web communication pathways, whichthemselves can employ numerous intermediary hardware and/or softwaredevices including, for example, numerous routers, etc. A variety ofcommunication protocols and methodologies can be used to conduct thecommunications over the internet 106 including, for example, thetransmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), extensiblemessaging and presence protocol (XMPP), file transfer protocol (FTP),etc. Although the communication links 110, 112, 114 are shown in FIG. 1as being components of the communications system 100 that are distinctfrom the internet 106, these communication links can also themselves beconsidered to constitute part of the internet 106 as broadly understood.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the mobile device 102 is intended to berepresentative of any of a variety of wireless communication devicesoperated by persons (or users) or possibly by other entities (e.g.,other computers) desiring or requiring communication capabilities. Insome embodiments, for example, the mobile device 102 can be any of acellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDAs), a smart phone,another handheld or portable electronic device, a headset, a MP3 player,a battery-powered device, a wearable device, a radio, a navigationdevice, a laptop or notebook computer, a netbook, a pager, a PMP(personal media player), a DVR (digital video recorder), a gamingdevice, a camera, a netbook, an e-reader, an e-book, a tablet device, anavigation device with a video capable screen, a multimedia dockingstation, or another mobile device.

By comparison, the associated device 104 in FIG. 1 is particularly shownin FIG. 1 to be a laptop computer as can be used in a home or officesetting. The laptop computer can itself also be a mobile device asdiscussed above, and thus is intended to illustrate that the associateddevice 104 can in at least some embodiments be a mobile device that isdistinct from (albeit associated with, in a manner as described furtherbelow) the mobile device 102. Although in the present embodiment theassociated device 104 includes the single laptop computer, it isenvisioned that in other embodiments the associated device can takeother forms and/or can encompass more than one associated device ratherthan only a single associated device. For example, rather than being alaptop computer, the associated device 104 can be another type of mobiledevice such as a tablet device, an e-book, or any of the other devicesidentified above as potentially constituting the mobile device 102.Also, in other embodiments, the associated device can be a device thatis not a mobile device, such as a desktop computer. Further, it shouldalso be appreciated that, in other embodiments, such one or moreassociated devices can, instead of or in addition to including a laptopcomputer, include any of a variety of other types of computers (e.g.,desktop computers) or other computerized devices that are capable ofinteracting with the internet 106 (and indirectly interacting withdevices or entities in communication therewith, such as the web server108). Again, depending upon the embodiment, such associated device(s)can include either one or more mobile devices, or one or more devicesthat are not mobile devices, or both.

Additionally, the web server 108 is intended be representative of aserver that supports internet protocols or otherwise is capable ofinteraction with the internet or World Wide Web. That said, the webserver 108 is also intended to be representative of any computerizeddevice or terminal (or several of these) with which the mobile device102 and the associated device 104 are capable of communicating, for thepurpose of receiving/downloading or transmitting/uploading information,via the internet 106. Although only the single web server 108 is shownin FIG. 1, it should be appreciated that FIG. 1 is intended to berepresentative of numerous alternate embodiments of communicationssystems and arrangements in which a mobile device such as the mobiledevice 102 and one or more other devices such as the associated device104 are capable of communicating, via one or more internet-typeconnections, with any one or more web servers and/or any one or moredevices other than web servers, for the purpose of downloading/receivingor transmitting/uploading any of a variety of types of information orcontent.

Assuming that as shown in FIG. 1 the mobile device 102 and theassociated device 104 are in communication with a web server such as theweb server 108 of FIG. 1, it should be further appreciated that the webserver can take a variety of different forms depending upon theembodiment. In at least some embodiments, for example, the web server108 is a content provider website (CPW), which can be understood togenerally encompass any of a variety of types of websites including, forexample, social networking websites (SNWs), business-to-businesswebsites, business-to-consumer websites, news feeds, video broadcast orother broadcast sources, music and photograph websites, or other sourcesof media content. Further for example, such a CPW can include Facebook™,MySpace™, hi5™, LinkedIn™, and Twitter™, youtube.com, hulu.com, as wellas sources of RSS or other news feeds, photograph services such asPicasa™ or Photobucket™, and music services such as LastFM™.

The type(s) of information or content that can be downloaded/receivedfrom or uploaded/transmitted to a web server such as the web server 108(and/or other device(s) or component(s) with which the mobile device 102and the associated device 104 are in communication, depending upon theembodiment) can also vary considerably depending upon the embodiment orcircumstance. Assuming that the web server 108 is a CPW as mentionedabove, for example, the information or content that can bedownloaded/received from, or uploaded/transmitted to, such a CPW caninclude, among other things, file information (e.g., photos, music,videos, text entries, etc.), blog postings, and messaging (e.g., ShortMessage Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and InstantMessaging (IM) messages), as well as possibly streaming video and/oraudio information. Additionally for example, in some embodiments the webserver 108 can be the source of one or more software update(s), and theinformation or content received by the mobile device 102 and theassociated device 104 can include software update content.

Finally, still referring to FIG. 1, in addition to the communicationlinks 110, 112, and 114 and the internet 106 discussed above, anadditional communication link 120 is shown to exist either continuouslyor at least temporarily or intermittently (as represented by the dashingof the communication link as shown in FIG. 1) between the mobile device102 and the associated device 104. Although the additional communicationlink 120 as shown in FIG. 1 is shown as only a single communicationlink, it should be understood that the number of communication links canvary depending upon the embodiment and, among other things, upon whetherthe mobile device 102 is in communication with more than one associateddevice rather than just the associated device 104 as shown in FIG. 1.That is, in general, the number of additional communication links suchas the additional communication link 120 can correspond to the number ofcomputer systems or other devices encompassed within the associateddevices such as the associate device 104, as can vary depending upon theembodiment.

Although not necessarily the case in all embodiments, in one embodimentthe additional communication link 120 particularly includes a Bluetoothwireless communication link established between the mobile device 102and the associated device 104. That said, in other embodiments, theadditional communication link (or communication links, if several arepresent) 120 can encompass one or more other types of wirelessconnections and/or wired connections instead of (or in addition to) aBluetooth wireless communication link. For example, in anotherembodiment, the additional communication link 120 is a wiredcommunication link including a dedicated connecting cord or cords, suchas for example a universal serial bus (USB) cable (and any associatedconnectors). Depending upon the embodiment, the wireless and/or wiredconnections can be, but need not be, secure (or substantially secure).That said, in one embodiment in which the additional communication link120 involves a Bluetooth connection, the Bluetooth connection isparticularly intended to be a dedicated, secure (or substantiallysecure) connection between these particular communication systemcomponents. That is, in such embodiment, the mobile device 102 and theassociated device 104 have a special relationship characterized by adedicated, secure (or substantially secure) connection. Further itshould be noted that, although the additional communication link 120 isshown to be independent of the internet 106 in FIG. 1, it is possible inalternate embodiments that the additional communication link will alsoinvolve the internet 106 such that communications between the mobiledevice 102 and the associated device 104 proceed at least in part by wayof the internet.

Regardless of the type(s) of connection(s) involved in providing theadditional communication link 120 or whether the additionalcommunication link 120 involves internet connectivity or not, theadditional communication link 120 is intended to signify that, inaccordance with the present embodiment, there exists a relationshipbetween the mobile device 102 and the associated device 104 according towhich those communications system components communicate particularlywith one another in manner(s) such as described further below, so as toallow for or facilitate the downloading/receipt of information orcontent from the web server 108 (or other web servers or other deviceson the internet 106) and/or the uploading/transmission of information orcontent to the web server 108 (or other web servers/devices on theinternet) in circumstances where it might not be appropriate or possiblefor the mobile device 102 to download/receive or upload/transmit suchinformation or content by itself. That is, as described further below,the associated device 104 cooperates with the mobile device 102 undervarious circumstances to act vicariously, in place of the mobile device,to conduct downloading/receipt and/or uploading/transmission operationswhen the mobile device 102 is not under those circumstances able to doso itself or all by itself

Referring to FIG. 2, there is provided a block diagram illustratingexample internal hardware components 200 of the mobile device 102 ofFIG. 1, in accordance with the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2,the internal components 200 include one or more wireless transceivers202, a processor portion 204 (e.g., one or more of microprocessor(s),microcomputer(s), application-specific integrated circuit(s), etc.), amemory portion 206, one or more output devices 208, and one or moreinput devices 210. The internal components 200 can further include acomponent interface 212 to provide a direct connection to auxiliarycomponents or accessories for additional or enhanced functionality. Theinternal components 200 preferably also include a power supply 214, suchas a battery, for providing power to the other internal components whileenabling the mobile device 102 to be portable. Further, the internalcomponents 200 additionally include one or more sensors 228. All of theinternal components 200 can be coupled to one another, and incommunication with one another, by way of one or more internalcommunication links 232 (e.g., an internal bus).

Each of the wireless transceivers 202 utilizes a wireless technology forcommunication, which can include for example (but are not limited to)cellular-based communication technologies such as analog communications(using AMPS), digital communications (using CDMA, TDMA, GSM, iDEN, GPRS,EDGE, etc.), and next generation communications (using UMTS, WCDMA, LTE,IEEE 802.16, etc.) or variants thereof, or peer-to-peer or ad hoccommunication technologies such as HomeRF (radio frequency), Bluetoothor IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g or n), or other wireless communicationtechnologies such as infrared technology. In the present embodiment, thewireless transceivers 202 include a cellular transceiver 203 and aBluetooth transceiver 205, although in other embodiments only one ofthese types of wireless transceivers (and possibly neither of thesetypes of wireless transceivers, and/or additional types of wirelesstransceivers) is present. It should be understood that, while thepresent embodiment includes the wireless transceivers 202, each of whichcan be understood to include both a wireless receiver and a wirelesstransmitter, in other embodiments the receiver and transmitter for anygiven type of wireless technology can be distinct components, and/or areceiver for a given type of wireless technology can be present eventhough a transmitter for that wireless technology is not present, orvice-versa (a transmitter is present while a receiver is not).

By virtue of the use of the wireless transceivers 202, the mobile device102 is capable of communicating with a variety of external componentssuch as cell towers, access points/hotspots, and other devices,including the associated device 104 (or multiple such associated devicesif more than one are involved). It is particularly envisioned that, inthe present embodiment, the cellular transceiver 203 allows for themobile device 102 to engage in communications via the communication link110 with the internet 106 (and ultimately thereby engage incommunications with the web server 108), while the Bluetooth transceiver205 allows the mobile device 102 to engage in communications via theadditional communication link 120 with the associated device 104.

Operation of the wireless transceivers 202 in conjunction with others ofthe internal components 200 of the mobile device 102 can take a varietyof forms. For example, operation of the wireless transceivers 202 canproceed in a manner in which, upon reception of wireless signals, theinternal components 200 detect communication signals and thetransceivers 202 demodulate the communication signals to recoverincoming information, such as voice and/or data, transmitted by thewireless signals. After receiving the incoming information from thetransceivers 202, the processor portion 204 formats the incominginformation for the one or more output devices 208. Likewise, fortransmission of wireless signals, the processor portion 204 formatsoutgoing information, which can but need not be activated by the inputdevices 210, and conveys the outgoing information to one or more of thewireless transceivers 202 for modulation so as to provide modulatedcommunication signals to be transmitted. The wireless transceivers 202convey the modulated communication signals by way of wireless or wiredcommunication links such as (as already discussed) the communicationlinks 110, 120 for receipt by other devices such as cell towers oraccess point/hotspots (e.g., for communications via the internet 106) orthe associated device 104.

Depending upon the embodiment, the input and output devices 210, 208 ofthe internal components 200 can include a variety of visual, audioand/or mechanical outputs. For example, the output device(s) 208 caninclude one or more visual output devices 216 such as a liquid crystaldisplay and/or light emitting diode indicator, one or more audio outputdevices 218 such as a speaker, alarm, and/or buzzer, and/or one or moremechanical output devices 220 such as a vibrating mechanism. The visualoutput devices 216 among other things can also include a video screen.Likewise, by example, the input device(s) 210 can include one or morevisual input devices 222 such as an optical sensor (for example, acamera lens and photosensor), one or more audio input devices 224 suchas a microphone, and/or one or more mechanical input devices 226 such asa flip sensor, keyboard, keypad, selection button, navigation cluster,touch pad, capacitive sensor, motion sensor, and/or switch. Operationsthat can actuate one or more of the input devices 210 can include notonly the physical pressing/actuation of buttons or other actuators, butcan also include, for example, opening the mobile device, unlocking thedevice, moving the device to actuate a motion, moving the device toactuate a location positioning system, and operating the device.

Additionally, while in FIG. 2 the input devices 210 are shown to bedistinct from the output devices 208, it should be recognized that insome embodiments one or more devices serve both as input device(s) andoutput device(s). For example, in some embodiments the mobile device 102can include a touchscreen display having a user interface that comprisesboth one or more of the visual output devices 216, insofar as thetouchscreen display outputs images, as well as one or more of themechanical input devices 226, insofar as user touch inputs are sensed bythe touchscreen display. In other embodiments, other types of devicescan be used that should be considered both among the input devices 210and the output devices 208.

As mentioned above, the internal components 200 also can include one ormore of various types of sensors 228. The sensors 228 can include, forexample, proximity sensors (e.g., a light detecting sensor, anultrasound transceiver or an infrared transceiver), touch sensors,altitude sensors, and one or more location circuits/components that caninclude, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, atriangulation receiver, an accelerometer, a tilt sensor, a gyroscope, orany other information collecting device that can identify a currentlocation or user-device interface of the mobile device 102. While thesensors 228 for the purposes of FIG. 2 are considered to be distinctfrom the input devices 210, in other embodiments it is possible that oneor more of the input devices can also be considered to constitute one ormore of the sensors (and vice-versa).

The memory portion 206 of the internal components 200 can encompass oneor more memory devices of any of a variety of forms (e.g., read-onlymemory, random access memory, static random access memory, dynamicrandom access memory, etc.), and can be used by the processor portion204 to store and retrieve data. In some embodiments, the memory portion206 (or a portion thereof) can be integrated with the processor portion204 (or a portion thereof) in a single device (e.g., a processing deviceincluding memory or processor-in-memory (PIM)), albeit such a singledevice will still typically have distinct portions/sections that performthe different processing and memory functions and that can be consideredseparate devices.

The data that is stored by the memory portion 206 can include, but neednot be limited to, operating systems, programs (applications), andinformational data. Each operating system includes executable code thatcontrols basic functions of the mobile device 102, such as interactionamong the various components included among the internal components 200,communication with external devices via the wireless transceivers 202and/or the component interface 212, and storage and retrieval ofprograms and data, to and from the memory portion 206. By contrast, eachprogram includes executable code that utilizes an operating system toprovide more specific functionality, such as file system service andhandling of protected and unprotected data stored in the memory portion206. Although many such programs govern standard or requiredfunctionality of the mobile device 102, in many cases the programsinclude applications (or simply “apps”) governing optional orspecialized functionality, which can be provided in some cases by thirdparty vendors unrelated to the mobile device manufacturer.

Finally, with respect to informational data, this is non-executable codeor information that can be referenced and/or manipulated by an operatingsystem or program for performing functions of the mobile device 102.Such informational data can include portions of the information orcontent described above that is downloaded/received from, oruploaded/transmitted to, the web server 108 (or other server(s),device(s) or component(s)) via the internet 106), during ongoingoperation of the mobile device 102. Such informational data can alsoinclude data that is preprogrammed upon the mobile device 102 duringmanufacture. Notwithstanding the above, however, it should further beappreciated that the “information or content” described above as beinguploaded/transmitted from or downloaded/received by the mobile device102 and/or the associated device 104 should be broadly understood toencompass not merely “informational data” as is being described herewith respect to the memory portion 206, but also to encompass programs,apps, software updates, and operating system code as well—that is, toencompass any and all information or content, of any type, that ispotentially uploaded/transmitted from or downloaded/received by themobile device 102.

Although FIG. 2 particularly shows the internal components 200 of themobile device 102 of FIG. 1, it should be understood that some (andpotentially all) of these internal components can also be present in theassociated device 104 of FIG. 1 (or, in alternate embodiments, in anyother computer system or device that is in communication both with theinternet 106 and with a mobile device such as the mobile device 102).Indeed, the laptop computer constituting the associated device 104 ofFIG. 1 can include processor and memory portions, input and outputdevices, component interfaces, power supplies, and sensors (e.g.,cameras) as are included with the mobile device 102. Further, since thelaptop computer constituting the associated device 104 is a mobiledevice, the laptop computer also can be understood to include wirelesstransceivers as are included with the mobile device 102. Thus, inaddition to being a representation of the internal components 200 of themobile device 102 of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 can also be considered to be equallyor substantially equally representative of the internal components ofone or more associated devices such as the associated device 104 thathave a relationship with the mobile device 102.

Turning to FIG. 3, represented by FIGS. 3A and 3B, a flow chart 300shows example steps of operation of the mobile device 102 in relation tothe other components of the system 100 of FIG. 1. As shown, uponcommencing operation at a step 302, the mobile device 102 establishes arelationship with the associated device 104 at a step 304 (it is byvirtue of establishment of this relationship that the associated device104 can be considered “associated” with the mobile device). Theestablishing of the relationship of the step 304 can be performed by themobile device 102 automatically or in response to one or more operatorcommands, for example, a command from an operator entered at the mobiledevice in which the operator selects the associated device 104 fromamong a listing of several possible devices.

As described in further detail below, in accordance with therelationship established between the associated device 104 and themobile device 102, the associated device 104 in one or morecircumstances acts vicariously, in place of the mobile device, toconduct downloading/receipt and/or uploading/transmission operationswhen the mobile device 102 is not under those circumstances able to doso itself or all by itself. In the present embodiment, the relationshipbetween the mobile device 102 and the associated device 104 is adedicated relationship in which it is only the associated device 104that can act vicariously on behalf of the mobile device 102 with respectto the downloading/receipt and/or uploading/transmission of information(and not any other devices). Nevertheless, in other embodiments orimplementations one or more other relationships can be establishedbetween the mobile device 102 and a variety of one or more associateddevices (potentially including or not including the particularassociated device 104 of FIG. 1). In such other embodiments, the mobiledevice 102 can utilize more than one associated device for vicariouslyconducting downloading/receipt and/or uploading/transmission operationsdepending upon the circumstances or other conditions.

Assuming that such a relationship between the mobile device 102 and theassociated device 104 (or, in other embodiments, another device ordevice(s)) has been established at the step 304, next at a step 306 themobile device 102 collects information on an on-going basis regardingany one or more of a variety of characteristics or events that areexperienced by the mobile device in terms of its operations or itsinteractions with users, devices or other entities. For example, asshown in a listing 308, the mobile device 102 can monitor and collectinformation regarding how the mobile device is being used, such asinformation regarding the frequency of usage or the types of activitiesthat the mobile device 102 is performing during such usage or the timesof usage. Further for example, the mobile device can monitor thelocation of the mobile device, in absolute terms or relative to somereference point (and/or monitor the location of the user with whom themobile device is associated). Also for example, the mobile device 102 insome embodiments or circumstances can monitor or sense an activity of auser with whom the mobile device is associated, for example, an activitysuch as driving, cycling, jogging, or running. Such activity can bedetected in a variety of manners depending upon the embodiment and, forexample, can be detected by sensing particular movements of the mobiledevice that suggest that such activity is taking place, or based uponinformation input into the mobile device from a user.

Additionally for example, the mobile device 102 can monitor whether itis being used at home or away from home, or whether it is connected to ahome network or a standard network (e.g., a cellular network or Wi-Finetwork) or is merely roaming. Further for example, the mobile device102 can monitor the battery condition of the mobile device, or aremaining data limit (e.g., the amount of data that can beuploaded/downloaded in accordance with a data plan for the mobiledevice, such as a data plan pertaining to internet access by the mobiledevice). The characteristics/conditions shown in the listing 308 areonly intended to be examples, and a variety of other types ofinformation can be monitored and collected by the mobile device 102 inaddition to, or instead of, the conditions shown in the listing 308.

Next, at a step 310, the mobile device 102 analyzes the information thathas been collected, for example by way of the processor portion 204 ofthe mobile device. The manner of analysis and amount of analysis that isconducted can vary depending upon the embodiment and/or the type(s) ofinformation that are being analyzed. Although the analysis step 310 isshown to be sequentially following the step 306 involving the collectionof information, it should be understood that such analysis andcollection of information can both be ongoing processes that areoccurring simultaneously and/or in a continuous, substantiallycontinuous, or repetitive manner.

Additionally, at some point following the step 310 (and/or while thestep 310 and/or the step 306 are being performed in an ongoing manner),the mobile device 102 can detect whether a trigger event has occurredthat would trigger the mobile device 102 to determine thatdownloading/receipt or uploading/transmission of information or contentwith respect to the internet 106 (and/or with respect to entities suchas the web server 108 connected thereto) should be performed, asrepresented by a step 312. A trigger event can include, for example, thereceiving of a user command at the mobile device 102 that expressly orimplicitly requires that one or more downloading/receipt oruploading/transmission operations be performed including, for example, auser command by which the user selects or “clicks” on a selectablehyperlink, icon, or button shown on the mobile device 102. It should beappreciated the detecting of the trigger event at the step 312, as wellas other detecting and/or determining operations discussed herein, canparticularly be performed at the mobile device 102 by way of theprocessor portion 204 of the mobile device.

So long as no trigger event occurs as determined at the step 312, theprocess continues to perform the steps 306 and 310 on an ongoing orrepetitive basis. However, if a trigger event is determined to haveoccurred at the step 312, then the process advances to a step 314, atwhich the mobile device 102 further determines whether in the presentcircumstances it is appropriate to offload the downloading/receiving oruploading/transmission of information or content to the associateddevice 104 with respect to which the mobile device 102 established arelationship at the step 304 (or, if there are multiple associateddevices, whether it is appropriate to offload such operations to one ormore of those multiple associated devices). In the present embodiment,the determination is made based upon the collected information obtainedat the step 306 (as analyzed or processed at the step 310). Thus, thedetermination at the step 314 can be made based upon any one or more ofa variety of historical or current information relating to operationalconditions, characteristics, or contexts. Also, in some embodiments, thedetermination at the step 314 can also or instead take into account oneor more user input commands.

For example, the offloading of a downloading or uploading operation fromthe mobile device 102 to the associated device 104 can be appropriate ifthe mobile device 102 is currently accessing a third party websitesupported by the web server 108 and a request has been entered by theuser to download information or content available at that website or toupload information or content to that website, but the power supply 214(e.g., the battery) of the mobile device 102 is low on stored energy orotherwise is unable to supply sufficient or desired levels of power tothe mobile device (e.g., to operate the wireless transceivers 202) toachieve the desired downloading or uploading operation(s). Also, theoffloading of a downloading or uploading operation can be appropriate ifthe connectivity between the mobile device 102 is insufficientlyreliable or is too slow to allow for efficient downloading or uploadingof the information or content of interest.

Further for example, the offloading of a downloading operation from themobile device 102 to the associated device 104 can be appropriate if thememory portion 206 is storing other information or content such thatthere is not enough remaining memory available for storing of theinformation or content to be downloaded, or if for some other reason themobile device 102 is not ready to handle such large amounts ofinformation or content (e.g., because the processor portion 204 is notready to be tasked with processing such information or content eventhough the memory portion may be ready to receive such information orcontent). A number of these circumstances can particularly become ofconcern when the amount of information or content to be downloaded oruploaded is large. Additionally, as already noted, whether thedownloading or uploading information should be offloaded to orvicariously performed by the associated device 104 can be determinedbased upon whether a user input command to do so has been received bythe mobile device 102.

If at the step 314 it is determined that no circumstance presentlydictates that one or more downloading/receiving oruploading/transmission operations should be offloaded to the associateddevice 104, then the process returns to the step 306. As part of thereturn to the step 306, it can be understood that in this circumstancethe mobile device 102 can itself perform any downloading/receiving oruploading/transmission operations that should be performed at this timein response to the trigger event detected at the step 312. However, ifat the step 314 it is determined that the downloading or uploadingshould be offloaded to the associated device 104, then the processinstead advances to a step 316. At the step 316, it is determinedwhether it is particularly downloading/receiving of information orcontent or uploading/transmission of information or content that isdesired. Although this determination is shown in FIG. 3 to be a stepdistinct from the steps 310-314, this determination can also be made at(as part of) one or more of those steps. Regardless, step 316 is shownto be separate from the steps 310-314 because the process represented bythe flow chart 300 takes different paths following step 316 dependingupon whether it is downloading or uploading that is to be performed.More particularly, if downloading/receiving of information or content isdesired, then the process proceeds from the step 316 to a step 318 andto additional subsequent steps 322-330 prior to ending at an end step332, but if uploading/transmission of information or content is desired,then the process proceeds from the step 316 to a step 320 and then tofurther steps 334-338 prior to ending at the end step 332.

If downloading/receiving of information or content is desired and theprocess proceeds from the step 316 to the step 318, then at the step 318the mobile device 102 sends a message to the associated device 104identifying the information or content that is to be downloaded, alongwith a command that the associated device 104 perform thedownloading/receiving. Depending upon the embodiment, this message canalso include supplemental information, for example, a location at whichthe information or content to be downloaded can be found (e.g., the webaddress of a web page of a website hosted by the web server 108 at whichthe information or content is accessible).

Upon the message being sent at the step 318, then next at a step 322 theassociated device 104 vicariously (that is, instead of and/or on behalfof the mobile device 102) performs the requested downloading/receivingoperation. This step is shown in dashed lines since, in contrast to allof the other steps of the flow chart 300, which are performed by themobile device 102 (aside from a step 336 to be discussed below), thestep 322 is performed by the associated device 104. The step 322particularly is shown for convenience, to make clear that it is theassociated device 104 that actually performs the downloading ofinformation or content in this example circumstance. The downloadingoperation performed by the associated device 104 can particularly beperformed via communications of the associated device via thecommunication link 112 and the internet 106 in relation to one or moresources of the information or content to be downloaded, for example, theweb server 108 (such communications with the web server 108 inparticular will also involve the communication link 114). Uponcompletion of the step 322, then at a step 324 the mobile device 102receives a confirmation from the associated device 104 that theinformation or content to be downloaded/received has in fact beendownloaded/received at the associated device.

As already discussed, it is at the step 314 that the mobile device 102determined that the downloading/receiving of information or contentshould be offloaded to the associated device 104 such that, at the step322, such downloading/receiving is performed by the associated device104. Nevertheless, at some subsequent time, the one or morecircumstances can change such that at that subsequent time it isappropriate for the information or content that was downloaded by theassociated device 104 to be provided to the mobile device 102. Such adetermination of whether circumstances have changed sufficiently is madeat a step 326, and the determination can be made by the mobile device102 by itself based upon its own information (e.g., independently), orby the mobile device 102 based upon one or more communications it hashad or is having with the associated device 104 and/or with otherdevice(s), depending upon the embodiment or operational circumstance. Inat least some embodiments in which the steps 306 and 308 involving thecollection and analysis of information are performed on an ongoing basis(as mentioned above), the determination made at the step 326 can be madebased upon new or real-time information as collected and analyzed byvirtue of these operations.

That said, the basis for the determination made at the step 326 can varysignificantly depending upon the embodiment or circumstance, and oftenwill have some correspondence to the basis upon which the mobile device102 determined at the step 314 that offloading of the downloadingoperation was appropriate. For example, suppose that the mobile device102 determines at the step 314 that offloading of the downloadingoperation is appropriate because the battery power is low (or because ofsome other concern about the power supply 214 operation). In suchcircumstance, the mobile device 102 can subsequently determine at thestep 326 that it is appropriate for the information or contentdownloaded by the associated device 104 to be provided to the mobiledevice 102 if and when the mobile device detects that the battery hasnow been replaced or recharged.

Also for example, suppose that the mobile device 102 determines at thestep 314 that offloading of the downloading operation is appropriatebecause the wireless connectivity of the mobile device itself withrespect to the interne 106 via the wireless communication link 110 isnot sufficiently reliable to support direct communication of theinformation or content of interest, or because the wireless connectivitythat is available is otherwise inappropriate for such communication ofthat information or content (for example, because of limited bandwidthor because the mobile device has a limited data plan). In suchcircumstance, the determination by the mobile device 102 at the step 326can occur immediately upon the mobile device receiving the confirmationat the step 324 that the information or content has been successfullydownloaded by the associated device 104, assuming that the communicationlink 120 is sufficiently reliable (and/or is otherwise appropriate) toallow for the downloaded information or content to be immediatelyprovided to the mobile device from the associated device.

Additionally for example, suppose that the mobile device 102 determinesat the step 314 that offloading of the downloading operation isappropriate because the mobile device did not at that time havesufficient memory available to receive the information or content to bedownloaded. In such circumstance, the determination at the step 326 canoccur at a later time when the mobile device 102 detects that there isat that later time sufficient memory available at the mobile device toreceive that information or content. Still further for example, thedetermination made at the step 326 in another embodiment can be simply adetermination made by the mobile device 102 that a particular amount oftime has elapsed since the vicarious downloading operation by theassociated device 104 has occurred (or since the confirmation messagewas received at the step 324), thus indicating that it is now anappropriate time for the downloaded information to be communicated fromthe associated device 104 to the mobile device 102.

Upon the mobile device 102 determining at the step 326 that it isappropriate for the information or content downloaded by the associateddevice 104 to be provided to the mobile device, then at a step 328 themobile device provides a request to the associated device to provide thedownloaded information or content to the mobile device. Subsequently inresponse, at a step 330, the previously-downloaded information orcontent is received at the mobile device 102 from the associated device104 by way of the communication link 120 and then the process ends at anend step 332 (it being understood that the process could again berepeated by returning to the step 302).

If alternatively at the step 316 it is determined that uploading ofinformation is desired (instead of downloading of information), ratherthan advancing from the step 316 to the step 318, the process insteadadvances from the step 316 to the step 320, at which the mobile device102 determines whether the information or content desired for uploadingis already present at the associated device 104 (and thus alreadyavailable for uploading by that associated device). This can bedetermined in a variety of manners depending upon the embodiment orcircumstance.

For example, the mobile device 102 can consult its own stored recordsabout information/content that has been provided to the associateddevice 104 by the mobile device 102 (or that otherwise is known by themobile device to be present at the other device). Also for example, themobile device 102 can engage in communication with the associated device104 at the time of performing the step 320 to determine if theinformation or content desired for uploading is available at thatassociated device. Further for example, the mobile device 102 canpotentially consult an additional external device to determine whetherthe information or content desired for uploading is present at theassociated device 104. In this regard, additionally for example, themobile device 102 can consult a third party website that has informationabout how the information or content desired for uploading waspreviously transmitted to the associated device 104.

If the information or content desired for uploading is not available atthe associated device 104 as determined at the step 320, then thedesired uploading cannot occur and so the process reverts to the step306. However, if the information or content desired for uploading isavailable at the associated device 104, then the process advances to astep 334, at which the mobile device 102 sends a message to theassociated device 104 identifying the information or content withrespect to which uploading is desired and also commanding that theassociated device upload that information/content. This command canfurther specify the location (e.g., the web address of a website hostedby the web server 108) to which the information or content desired foruploading is to be uploaded/transmitted. Depending upon the embodiment,the information or content can thus be uploaded to any of a variety oflocations or devices including, for example, the web server 108 (or anyother server(s), device(s) or component(s) with which communications viathe internet 106 are possible).

Next, at a step 336, the associated device 104 vicariously (that is,instead of and/or on behalf of the mobile device 102) uploads theinformation or content to the location or device commanded (e.g., to theweb server 108) at the step 334. As was the case with respect to thestep 322, the step 336 is shown in FIG. 3 in dashed lines because it isperformed by the associated device 104 rather than the mobile device 102(by comparison, all of the other steps shown in the flow chart 300 asidefrom the step 322 are performed by the mobile device). Finally, upon theuploading of the information or content by the associated device 104being completed, then at a step 338 the mobile device 102 receives aconfirmation from that associated device 104 that the commandeduploading has been completed. Upon that message being received at themobile device 102, the process then ends at the end step 332 (albeit theprocess can at that point also be repeated by returning to the step302).

Notwithstanding the above description, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the above-described embodiments but rather isintended to encompass numerous variations and alternate embodiments ofprocesses and systems that allow for vicarious downloading or uploadingof information or content, on behalf of a mobile device, by way ofoperations of another device or devices. For example in some otherembodiments, additional steps are provided to achieve desireddownloading or uploading of information or content in addition to thosedescribed above. More particularly in this regard, it will be understoodthat, depending upon the embodiment, the processes described above canalso encompass additional complementary steps (besides the steps 322 and336) that are performed by the associated device 104. Also, dependingupon the embodiment, interactions can occur not only between the mobiledevice 102 and associated devices such as the associated device 104, butalso between the mobile device 102 and still further other device(s).For example, uploading of information/content in one alternateembodiment can be achieved by having one other device upload one portionof that information/content and another device upload another portion(the remainder) of that information/content.

Also, notwithstanding the particular description provided above, itshould be understood that one or more of the operations performed inaccordance with the flow chart 300 can be modified or performed in adifferent order than that shown in FIG. 3 in some alternate embodiments.For example, while in FIG. 3 downloading and uploading operations aretreated as distinct (separate) possible operations, in other embodimentsdownloading and uploading operations can be performed in combinationwith one another and/or at substantially the same time. Also, as alreadydiscussed with respect to some of the steps of the flow chart 300 (e.g.,the steps 306, 310, 312), one or more of the operations discussed aboveas being performed in a particular order can, in other embodiments, beperformed simultaneously or substantially simultaneously, and/or in arepetitive or ongoing manner. Also, in some alternate embodiments,multiple ones of the above-discussed operations can be merged intosingle operations.

Thus, it is specifically intended that the present invention not belimited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, butinclude modified forms of those embodiments including portions of theembodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments ascome within the scope of the following claims.

1. A method of uploading information or content, the information orcontent present on a mobile device, to an external device, the methodcomprising: establishing, by the mobile device, a communicationconnection between the mobile device and an associated device;collecting, by the mobile device on an ongoing basis, informationregarding conditions experienced by the mobile device, the conditionsexperienced by the mobile device comprising at least one of mobiledevice usage, a data plan limit of the mobile device, or activities by auser of the mobile device; detecting, by the mobile device, a triggerevent; determining, by the mobile device, that the information orcontent is present on the associated device, the determining based atleast in part on the mobile device consulting the mobile device's storedrecords about information or content that has been provided by themobile device to the associated device; and causing, by the mobiledevice and responsive to the trigger event, the associated device toupload the information or content from the associated device to theexternal device.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein theestablishing the communication connection between the mobile device andthe associated device establishes a temporary communication connection.3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the detecting the triggerevent is based on analyzing the collected information regarding theconditions experienced by the mobile device.
 4. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the detecting the trigger event is in response toreceiving a user command.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1, whereinthe collecting the information regarding the conditions experienced bythe mobile device further collects a frequency of use of the mobiledevice, a geographic location of the mobile device, a time of use of themobile device, activities of a user of the mobile device, a connectivityof the mobile device, or a system status of the mobile device.
 6. Amethod of uploading information or content, the information or contentpresent on a mobile device, to an external device, the methodcomprising: establishing, by the mobile device, communicationconnections between the mobile device and a plurality of associateddevices; collecting, by the mobile device on an ongoing basis,information regarding conditions experienced by the mobile device, theconditions experienced by the mobile device comprising at least one ofmobile device usage, a data plan limit of the mobile device, oractivities by a user of the mobile device; detecting, by the mobiledevice, a trigger event; determining, by the mobile device, that theinformation or content is present on the plurality of associateddevices; and causing, by the mobile device and responsive to the triggerevent, each of the plurality of associated devices to upload arespective portion of the information or content to the external device.7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the collecting theinformation regarding the conditions experienced by the mobile devicefurther collects a frequency of use of the mobile device, a geographiclocation of the mobile device, a time of use of the mobile device,activities of a user of the mobile device, a connectivity of the mobiledevice, or a system status of the mobile device.
 8. The method asrecited in claim 6, wherein the establishing the communicationconnections between the mobile device and the plurality of associateddevices establishes intermittent communication connections.
 9. Themethod as recited in claim 6, wherein the detecting the trigger event isbased on the collected information regarding conditions experienced bythe mobile device.
 10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein thedetecting the trigger event is based on receiving a user command. 11.The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the determining that theinformation or content is present on the plurality of associated devicesis based on the mobile device consulting the mobile device's storedrecords about information or content that has been provided by themobile device to the plurality of associated devices.
 12. The method asrecited in claim 6, wherein the determining that the information orcontent is present on the plurality of associated devices is based onthe mobile device communicating with the plurality of associateddevices.
 13. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the determiningthat the information or content is present on the plurality ofassociated devices is based on the mobile device consulting a thirdparty website that has information about how the information or contentwas previously transmitted to the plurality of associated devices.
 14. Amobile device comprising: a memory device that is capable of storinginformation or content; at least one wireless communication component bywhich the mobile device is able to transmit wireless communicationsignals to, and receive wireless communication signals from, an externaldevice and a plurality of associated devices; a power source; and aprocessing device coupled to the memory device and to the at least onewireless communication component, the processing device configured causethe mobile device to: collect, on an ongoing basis, informationpertaining to conditions experienced by the mobile device; detect atrigger event; determine, upon detecting the trigger event, thatuploading or downloading of information or content by the mobile device,in relation to the external device, is to be performed by the pluralityof associated devices; and send a command message to the plurality ofassociated devices, the command message causing each of the plurality ofassociated devices to upload respective portions of the information orcontent to, or download respective portions of the information orcontent from, the external device.
 15. The mobile device as recited inclaim 14, wherein the processing device configured to cause the mobiledevice to detect the trigger event is configured to detect the triggerevent via receiving a user command that is input through a microphone, aflip sensor, a keyboard, a keypad, a selection button, a navigationcluster, a touchpad, a capacitive sensor, or a switch.
 16. The mobiledevice as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one wirelesscommunication component is further able to communicate with cell towers,access points, or hotspots.
 17. The mobile device as recited in claim14, wherein the processing device configured to determine that theuploading of the information or content to the external device is to beperformed by the plurality of associated devices is configured to makethe determination based on consulting the mobile device's stored recordsabout information or content that has been provided by the mobile deviceto the plurality of associated devices.
 18. The mobile device as recitedin claim 14, wherein the processing device configured to determine thatthe uploading of the information or content to the external device is tobe performed by the plurality of associated devices is configured tomake the determination based on consulting a third party website thathas information about how the information or content was previouslytransmitted to the plurality of associated devices.
 19. The mobiledevice as recited in claim 14, wherein the processing device configuredto determine that the uploading of the information or content to theexternal device is to be performed by the plurality of associateddevices is configured make the determination based on the analysis ofthe collected information pertaining to the conditions experienced bythe mobile device.
 20. The mobile device as recited in claim 14, whereinthe processing device configured to determine that the downloading ofthe information or content from the external device is to be performedby the plurality of associated devices is further configured to provide,to the plurality of associated devices, a location from which theinformation or content is to be downloaded.